List of shipwrecks in 1980
Encyclopedia
The list of shipwrecks in 1980 includes all ship
s sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1980.
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1980.
1 January
- Sea Shepherd ISea Shepherd IThe Sea Shepherd I was a former fishing trawler owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. It was British registered and acquired in 1978 with a grant from the Fund for Animals. Her major action was ramming into the whaler Sierra and was later scuttled by the captain, Paul Watson....
(
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): The former trawler sank at LeixoesLeixõesLeixões is located 4 km to the north of Douro River mouth, in Matosinhos municipality, near the city of Porto. Leixões is one of Portugal's major seaports. Leixões Sport Club, commonly knows simply as Leixões, is Matosinhos' sports club....
, PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
8 January
- : Sank after collision with tankerTank shipA tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
(
United States).
12 January
- : Foundered off Cape HatterasCape HatterasCape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
while under tow to breakers.
18 January
- Star ClipperStar ClipperStar Clipper was a Norwegian-owned tanker built by Kockums in Malmö, Sweden in 1968. In 1981 she was sold and changed name to Star Lanao. She was scrapped in India in 1986.-Almö Bridge Disaster:...
(
Norway): The tanker collided with the Tjörn bridgeTjörn bridgeThe Tjörn Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge which together with two smaller bridges connects Stenungsund on mainland Sweden with the island Tjörn on the western coast of the country....
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, causing it to collapse.
20 January
- (
Greece) The cargo ship was beached at Brighton, Sussex. Later declared a constructive total loss and scrapped.
28 January
- ( Greece): Stranded off ChioggiaChioggiaChioggia is a coastal town and comune of the province of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy.-Geography:...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(35°46′N 0°34′W) and damaged beyond economic repair.
31 January
- (
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): The ran aground outside Leith HarbourLeith-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
and was wrecked.
6 February
- (
Cyprus): The whaler sank at LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
following an onboard explosion.
23 February
- ( Greece): The tanker exploded and sank in the Bay of Pylos. Two crew reported missing.
7 March
- (
Madagascar): The tanker broke in two off Le HavreLe HavreLe Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and was wrecked with the loss of eight of her 39 crew. The bow section capsized and sank, but the stern section was taken in tow by the tug Languedoc.
11 March
- (
Spain): While en route from AlgecirasAlgecirasAlgeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
, Spain to Ras TanuraRas TanuraRas Tanura is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf...
in the Persian Gulf on ballast, the crew was working to resolve a malfunction in the inert gas system; the tanker suddenly suffered a chain of four or five explosions over a few seconds, the hull rapidly broke in two and sank 100 nautical miles (185.2 km) off NouadhibouNouadhibouNouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 75,000 inhabitants expanding to over 90,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 40-mile peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of...
, MauritaniaMauritaniaMauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
. 36 people out of 43 aboard perished (34 Spanish and 2 British).
12 March
- (
Canada): The coaster sank at an unknown location.
14 March
- ( Norway): The ferry collided with a tug ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland), sinking the tug.
20 March
- (
Netherlands) sank on the Long Sand Bank, North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
51°35′00"N 1°17′20"E.
27 March
- ( Norway): The semi-submersibleSemi-submersibleA semi-submersible is a specialised marine vessel with good stability and seakeeping characteristics. The semi-submersible vessel design is commonly used in a number of specific offshore roles such as for offshore drilling rigs, safety vessels, oil production platforms and heavy lift cranes.The...
drilling rigDrilling rigA drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
capsized and sank following the structural failure of one of its six legs, killing 123 people.
1 April
- (
Liberia): The tanker sank off the coast of TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
with the loss of six of her 43 crew.
3 April
- ( Liberia): The tanker exploded and sank off the coast of SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
with the loss of six of her 38 crew. The Mycene was the sister ship of María Alejandra, lost in a similar incident less than one month before (see 11 March).
20 April
- (
West Germany):The cargo ship sank off the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
with the loss of two of her crew.
22 April
- (
Philippines): The ferry collided with the tanker ( Philippines) and sank with the loss of around 100 lives.
9 May
- ( United States: The cargo ships collided with the Tampa Bay BridgeSunshine Skyway BridgeThe Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a bridge spanning Tampa Bay, Florida, with a cable-stayed main span, and a total length of 21,877 feet . It is part of I-275 and US 19 , connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, Florida, passing through Hillsborough...
, causing it to collapse and killing 35 people.
11 May
- : The patrol boat was bombed by Cuban Air Force MiGMig-Industry:*MiG, now Mikoyan, a Russian aircraft corporation, formerly the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau*Metal inert gas welding or MIG welding, a type of welding using an electric arc and a shielding gas-Business and finance:...
s and sunk 40 nautical miles (74.1 km) south of Ragged Island, Bahamas with the loss of four crew.
22 May
- ( Liberia): The cargo ships collided with another ship ( West Germany) and sank in the Tsungaru Strait, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
7 June
- ZenobiaZenobia (shipwreck)MS Zenobia was a Swedish built Challenger-class RO-RO ferry launched in 1979 that capsized and sank close to Larnaca, Cyprus, in June 1980 on her maiden voyage...
(
Sweden) capsized and sank on her maiden voyage after a computer fault.
4 July
- (
Italy) caught fire and sank at La SpeziaLa SpeziaLa Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
. Burnt out hulk later raised and scrapped.
31 July
- ( Canada): The trawler struck a submerged object and sank off Lunenburg, Nova ScotiaLunenburg, Nova ScotiaLunenburg , is a Canadian port town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.Situated on the province's South Shore, Lunenburg is located on a peninsula at the western side of Mahone Bay. The town is approximately 90 kilometres southwest of the county boundary with the Halifax Regional Municipality.The...
.
9 September
- ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): Sunk due to structural failure in Typhoon Orchid south of Japan in the Pacific Ocean. All 44 people on board lost.
11 October
- ( Netherlands): The ocean liner caught fire and sank off AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Date unknown
- ( Greece): The coaster ran aground on ZakynthosZakynthosZakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
and was abandoned.
15 December
- ( United States): The LNG tanker ran aground off the west coast of JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Her captain committed suicide.
Date unknown
- sunk as an artificial reef.
- sunk as a target.
- ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) struck the Pierre Vertes off UshantUshantUshant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
.